Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-05-19
THE PRESIDENTS MAIL.
Letters from All Sorts of Applicants for Pen
sion or Plaee-Epistles of the Children.
New York Herald

sion or Plaee-EplStleS OF Jne children.
New York Herald
The presidents mail contains an aver
age of from 100 to $50 letters day from
persons whose claims for pension are
pending before the department. These
people address the chief executive in the
belief, probably, that the pension Office
is next door to tbs white house, and that
theirs is the only letter he may have re-
ceived in week.
About one half of these letters are sent
to Mrs. Cleveland. The writer's in such
cases are usually the wives or daughters
of the petitioners. Some of them bestow
upon Mrs. Cleveland such titles as CHER
Majesty" Empress" and other appella-
tions of royalty. There are few of the
letters that do not contain some touches
of human nature. They are evidently
written in the sincere belief that Mrs.
Cleveland will assist them if her sympa-
thies can only be aroused. with this
object in view great mass of details are
set forth in the communication, which,
together with the obscure photography
and bad spelling, make its understanding
a matter of no uncomfortable time and
labor.
1t NAV be said IN this connection that
neither the president nor Mrs. CLEVELAND
is even aware of the existence of these
letters. They are opened by an I'M
romantic, unsentimentai CLERK at the
executive mansion, FROM whose hands
they fall into the was1e-basket and are
never heard of again.
The women who address Mrs. Cleveland
furnish her with suggestions as to the
better method of presenting their claim
to the president. OSe of the plans which
a perusaI of the letters show that all
women hold in common is for her to
wait until Mr.. Cleveland has had his sup
per, and then, when he is enjoying a quiet
smoke in the parlOr (sic) bring the mat
ter to his attention. Many of them tell
her that this is the hour of the day when
q man is most amenable to argument
and that they (the writers) prefer this
as the safest time for presenting their
own requests.
The applicants for pensions who write
to the president are, as has been said, old
soldiers who, like the female part of the
family, are sadly deficient Ia the prlncl-
pies of even an elementary education
They write, too, in more vigorous style
than their hslpmeets, and their language
is sometimes of so tObust g nature that
it frequently provokes q smile. For ex
ample, an Illinois man who addresses
the president in letter received to-day
says:
eThe pension officials tell me to get
.corrOborative evidence FROM some of my
comrades. [ want to tell you that it's 6
hell OF a hard matter to get evidence OF
men who go into action and never come
out again." and then he continues by
saying that his company went into the
Wilderness a hundred strong, and at the
end of the seven days fight there were
but nine of the number who were left te
tell the tale.
Sometimes the letters are written by
children, who begin In this fashion:
''DEAR Mr.. PRESIDENT: l am 9ittlt
girl only 10 years of age. My papa does
not know that l am writing this letter. II
he did he would not permit it."
Then follows a pathetic tale of want
and misery, touching enough in its siCl-
pie style of treatment, but rendered more
SO by the fact of the writer's youth and
innocence.
Several months ago one of these touch
ing missive CHANGED to reach the presi
deut's eye. It's simple pleading touched
a sympathetic chord of the president:
heart. The little miss begged the reten
ton of her father, republican, on tht
board of medical examiners in the New
England town in which their home wa!
located. She said he was very old anC
dying of an incurable disease. The posi-
ton paid him a salary of about 81 200 6
year, and in view of the fact that he could
no longer practice his profession. The
foregoing sum was their only source O.
income. The letter concluded in these
words:
SsPapa must not know about this. I
must be secret between you and me. II
you decide to keep him mark an \ on the
back of the enclosed postal card and then
1 will know that you are going to grant
my wish"
The president sent the letter and in
closure to Commissioner of Pensions
Black, with this endorsement:
off there are no charges against the
examiner in question you will oblige nae
by retaining him in his present posi-
tion.''
Gen. Black investigated the matter, anG
found that the examiner was not an ole
man, but, on the contrary, lusty young
fellow scarcely 80 years old, and that sc
far from having "e little girl 10 years OF
age" he was not even married.
The telegraph after this couldn't carry
his dismissal quick enough to him, and
since that time letters from little girls
who write without their papa's knowledge
are incontinently destroyed as flakes
pure and simple.